Volkswagen Entering World Rally Championship (WRC) By End Of March 2011

The World Rally Championship(WRC) organized by FIA is the the world most anticipated rally championship every year and has a tremendous fan following. Each year the end of the championship results in a champion driver along with a champion manufacturer, whereas other rallies either culminate with a manufacturer or a driver.

So in a way this championship is quite unique and does attract a lot of fans not just because of the word rally but for the variety of terrains and difficulties these drivers drive through. This rigorous 13 three-day race tests the driver’s skill on surfaces ranging from snow & ice to gravel and tarmac.

The cars contesting for the rally are the ordinary two-litre four-cylinder ones but tweaked in unusual ways with turbochargers, anti-lag systems, four wheel drive, sequential gearboxes(paddle shift), aerodynamic parts shooting up their cost to around $1 million. The price is enough to explain how advanced and special these cars are.

Volkswagen is a really potent brand in India and abroad as well and it was being rumored to be contesting for the 2011 WRC season with an optimized Volkswagen Polo GTI way ahead of its commencement but recently it has confirmed its plans of entering the same by the end of March 2011. Two rounds of the 2011 season have already finished and it is surprising to see the brand entering so late in the championship.

Now the question is not of winning the championship but to impress the fans. Earlier the brand had approached Sebastien Loeb(Citroen team driver) for signing a contract but their efforts were futile. Peter Solberg is also rumored to come into association with this new player. It would be very interesting to see how Volkswagen performs in this championship.